TheSportsCampus

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has joined the ‘Praise Steve Bould' bandwagon, with the former Gunners skipper even going as far as to recommend his ex-team mate as an eventual replacement for Arsene Wenger. Arsenal have looked a lot more stable defensively this season and a large share of the plaudits falls at the feet for the assistant manager. But Wenger has been quick to quell to hype, declaring that the true test of Arsenal's stature will come against the bigger clubs in the Premier League and Champions League.

That hasn't stopped Vieira from giving his two cents worth on the topic though as he told TalkSport: “He loves being a coach and would be the perfect successor to Arsene Wenger. He knows the club and young players better than anyone else and he's got this passion and desire to be a manger. It would be really good for Arsenal.”

It is an interesting assessment from the World Cup winner as Bould has indeed been at the club in a coaching role for a very long time now. He led the Arsenal U18's to a slew of trophies when he was their head coach, including the Premier Academy League and FA Youth Cup.

But his defensive tendencies make him the antithesis to Wenger's philosophy and it remains to be seen if he can develop into a bigger role. Filling Wenger's shoes will be no easy task as the Frenchman has built a successful club over two decades and with the manager showing no signs of slowing down after 16 years in-charge, talks of a replacement are premature to say the least.